Reminiscent Number One

A number of years ago, the Town had a Chief Administrative Officer who apparently performed above and beyond expectations in a particular task.

Council decided, as they had authority to do, the extraordinary accomplishment should be compensated. I was not a Councillor at the time and therefore not privy to the details.

In accordance with the law of privacy, Council had authority to make the decision in private.

Salary grid for a particular position is a matter of public record. Public employees like all others are entitled to privacy under the law. Except once a year, disclosure is required for earnings in excess of $100 thousand.

Ms Morris, then a Councillor, decided it suited her purpose to make a public issue of her opposition to council's in-camera decision.

Almost immediately the chief administrative officer accepted an offer of employment elsewhere.

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NUMBER TWO

October 23rd 2003.

A meeting of Council was held after registrations had closed for the upcoming election. A Council becomes a "dead duck" and no substantive decisions are made beyond that point

On that occasion, the following day was the deadline for submissions to the Province for input prior to passage of the Oak Ridges Moraine Act. The report had been weeks in preparation and was ,of necessity, complicated. Planning status of every property within the area had to be recorded. .

The Oak Ridges Moraine Act is intended to protect. It does not however remove land use designations legally processed. Lands at various stages in the planning process had to be articulated to be included in the Act.

Staff recommended the report be received in closed session in order to receive solicitor/client advice on particular site plan applications in process.

The report referred to a letter from a solicitor. It was not attached .

Rebecca Beaton was excited that afternoon. A dramatic move was afoot. The forces were being rallied .

The solicitor's letter had been deemed to be furtive and under-handed and Planning Director,Sue Seibert was the culprit.

I lost patience with Rebecca that day.

That night the Chamber filled with the usual caste of characters. Susan Walmer and friend Phyllis Morris. Ben Kestein was there. The Mayor's challenger and his teen age son. Rebecca and numerous others. The Sham Crusade to protect The Moraine was in full sway.

Public debate was demanded. Each took the microphone to demand staff advice be rejected.

Development should never again be permitted on the Moraine, they proclaimed with righteous fervour.

Private property rights had no place in The Oak Ridges Moraine.

Mayor Jones, Councillors West, Betty Pedersen withstood the onslaught. Councillor West, a former Mayor, pointed to a Government map of the Moraine showing non-existent watercourses. He warned of dire consequences of ignoring the reality that half the municipality is within the Moraine.

Planning Director Sue Seibert and Solicitor Shelly Pohjola left the chamber tp take an hour to re-write the report in an effort to save the municipality harmless and satisfy the opponents.

To no avail. That wasn't what they were after. There was blood in the water.

A resolution written on the spot by Councillor MacEachern, was passed to applause from the crowd.

At a subsequent meeting still prior to the election, the decision had to be re-considered and partially reversed. Councillor Mac Eachern made a public apology to property owners who had been adversely affected. She vowed her intention was not to take away anyone's rights.

There was no audience that night.

Councillor George Timpson, a former Mayor, changed his vote. First he went with the majority. Then he reversed himself
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He was featured in the media as having flip-flopped .

In the election, the Mayoralty challenger did well for an unknown. He ate into Tim Jones' vote. Councillor West went from top of the poll to second from the bottom.Councillor Pederson retired. Councillor Timpson was defeated. As was Councillor David Griffith.

Ms Morris topped the poll.

Council Mac Eachern had withdrawn from the race prior to the Moraine fracas.When names of registrants were noted , Councillor MacEachern stated she had better things to do with her time.

I registered and was elected but not confirmed until after a re-count demanded by Councillor Mac Eachern had been completed. She had failed to persuade runner-up David Griffith to seek the re-count.

Litigation was subsequently undertaken against the municipality by an owner of a legally designated property within the Oak Ridges Moraine.

The Town lost. Of course.

Months of work were required to correct problems created for the municipality by passage of that ill-founded resolution of Oct 23rd 2003.